The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-07-01


guiltyP One big tear did get as far as
the end of Barty's nose, but he dashed
it seornfully away, and forbade another
one to start. And by way of keeping
up his heart. and as being appropriate
to the time. if not exactly to the occa-
sion, Barty whistled Yankee Doodle. "
In the meantime Miss Polyphemia's
nerves had received such shock that,
even after the glazier had repaired her
window, she could not bring herself to
open her shop. Never in the whole
course of her shop-keeping had such an
outrage been perpetrated before, and
the worst of it was that Lord George,
her precious Lord George, was miss
ing. The excitement of the day be-
fore had caused her to forget him when
she locked the house up for the night,
and he was left tied to the backyard
fence. The rope was broken, and he
was gone. and Miss Polyphemia thought
it probable that that dreadful boy who
broke her window had stolen OF
poisoned him.
She inserted an advertisement in the
Plumleyville Star, offering a liberal re-
ward for his return, and she posted a
similar notice on tree in front of her
shops but they brought no tidings OF
the lost dog.
Late in the afternoon of the Fourth
of July Miss Polyphemia stood at her
gate and looked anxiously up and down
the street, hoping to catch a glimpse OF
Lord George. The stage-driver came
along and stopped when he saw her.
4 heard you'd lost that dog OF
your n, he remarked, 'and I shouldn't
be surprised if he got hurt consid' BILE
when he broke that glass. / happened
to be goin' by when twas done-'bout
half-past four o'clock. Your dog and
that big yeller one that 'blongs to the
new grocer was a-fghtin'. My! want
they a-givin' it to one t'other! Some
how or mother they came crashin' agin
the winder, and / guess they both OF
of 'em either got scared or hurt pretty
bad, for the yeller one he sneaked of
| home with his tail between his legs,
and your dog he run down the street
howlin' like all possessed. "
The stage-driver cracked his whip
and was gone, leaving Miss Polyphemia
| speechless with establishment. Al
though she had preiudices, she did not
mean to be unjust, and her conscience
bitterly reproached her for her haste in
accusing the boy, who was evidently
entirely innocent. And forgetting Lord
George in her great anxiety to right
the wrong of which she was the cause,
| she hurried off in search of the consta-
| BILE. He was not at home, but she told
his wife the story and got from her the
| key of the lookup. Whether she had
authority to open it or not, that poor
boy should not stay there any longer,
she declared, and as every body in
| PIumleyville knew that Miss Polyphe-
mia would have her own way, the con-
stables wife thought she might as well
give her the key.
Barty, sitting dejectedly on one O.
the small cots which were the only fur
niture of the lookup, heard the key
click in the lock and saw with astonish
ment Miss Polyphemia, painting with
haste, standing before him.
"You didn't do it!'' she exclaimed
Il guess l know that" said Barty,
with some temper.
at was my dog and another dog.
You have good, honest eyes. l might
| have known you were not thief
What is your name, and where do you
live? Bartlett Pilkins? Oh, that's it!''
exclaimed Miss Polyphemia, as if she
had made great discovery. ''And
your fathers name was Bartlett Pill
kins, wasn't it?''
.'Yes'm; but he's dead, said Barty.
Miss Polyphemia put her handker-
| chief to her eyes; there was something
that felt like tear in a corner of one
of them. The truth was that Miss
Polyphemia had once been engaged to
marry Bartlett Pilkins, but she was
considerably older than he. and people
had told her that he only wanted the
property that her father had left her,
and she had dismissed him. Afterward
she had been little sorry, although he
had never amounted to much, !" ac-
cording to Plumleyville report, and his
family had come back to Plumleyville
from the West-where he had gone
when fortune went against him at
home-very poor.
''Your mother has hard time to get
along, don't she?" asked Miss Poly
phemia.
''Yes'm; but she won't when I get
a little bigger!" said Barty, conf
IDENTIFY.
There isn't much for boy to do in
PlumleyviIle; but 1 want an assistant
/ in my shop. | didn't think of having
a boy"-here Miss Polyphemia swal-
lowed something in her throat that
seemed very hard, and perhaps it was
her prejudice against boys, for that
never appeared again-''but I've taken
fancy to you, and / think you would
be faithful, and could get along well
with Lord George-who certainly will
come home if he is alive-and some
day, if am not disappointed in you,
may make you my partner.
Barty wanted to turn a somersault,
| and he wanted to throw his arms
around Miss Polyphemia's neck, but
he thought it more prudent to restrain
himself.
perhaps / can make amends to you
for accusing you unjustly," continued
Miss Polyphemia, land for keeping
you shut up here through the Fourth
of July, which must have been hard for
boy"
1T has been pretty tough. said Bar
ty, frankly, ''but l felt worst about my
sick brother, Jimmy, who depends up
on me to tell him all about it.
WAS it for him that you wanted the
Roman candle?" asked Miss Polyphe-
mia. ''Well, there are plenty of fire.
works left, and I'll give you all you can